Police: 12-year-old girl took truck, led officers on low-speed chase in NC

Tuesday

Feb 19, 2013 at 11:35 AM

Police say a 12-year-old girl stole a pickup truck in Gaffney and led officers on a low-speed chase that ended near Charlotte, N.C.

By LYNNE P. SHACKLEFORDlynne.shackleford@shj.com

A 12-year-old Gaffney girl ran away from home after an argument with her father, stole a pick-up truck and led police on a bizarre, low-speed chase that ended in Charlotte, police said.N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper John Burgin said his agency became involved in the chase when the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, which has a no-chase policy, asked for assistance in stopping a 1993 GMC pick-up truck about midnight on Monday.“At that point, we had no information that there was a juvenile inside, we had information that this could be related to a missing person,” Burgin said.The pick-up truck, later determined to be driven by a 12-year-old Gaffney girl, led police on low-speed chase, with speeds at about 20 miles per hour, on north bound on Interstate 77, through downtown and back onto I-77, Burgin said. The truck pulls off the interstate after a 10- to 15-minute chase, and the girl tells troopers that she and her father argued at his Gaffney home and he tried to spank her and she put her hand behind her back when he struck her finger, Burgin said.The girl told troopers that she was upset and walked about three blocks where she saw a GMC pick-up truck in the parking lot of the Veterans of Foreign Wars on South Granard Street and she told troopers she got inside to get warm, Burgin said.“She tried to crank the truck, but there was no key inside, but the truck started,” Burgin said, adding troopers confirmed the truck would run without a key.The girl's father reported his daughter missing at about 11 p.m. after he failed to locate her at the house, and after riding around for about an hour, according to an incident report.The girl's father said he recently obtained custody of her and she had threatened to run away before.It is unclear whether the girl will face juvenile charges. She was treated and released from a Charlotte-area hospital and released to her father, Burgin said.